My Friend Supergirl
by The Thing in the Cave
Summary: My friend Gwen has been acting really odd lately, so I decided to find out why. But I didn't know it would lead to this! Rated T for violence.
1. Chapter 1

Well, hello there. I decided to write a little 4 chapter story about Gwen and her friend, Nicky. I know I never finish any of my stories, but I have a feeling this one will be different since it's so short. And I know it's kind of bad, but whatever. It was really early when I wrote this.

**DISCLAIMER: There's a lot of stuff I own, and sadly, Ben 10 is not one of them. ;.; But Nicky is.**

Other Note: Just so you know, this takes place sometime in mid May. I just couldn't find a place for it.

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The first thing I saw when I walked into homeroom was Gwen, hunched over a pile of notebooks with her back to the rest of the class. I swallowed- I knew that she hated being disturbed when she focused, but I had to figure this out. Ever since that Kevin guy moved into town, she's been quiet, busy, cryptic, and pretty antisocial overall. Not that her new persona is that different from the old one, it was just the antisocial part that freaked me out. I had to know what made her change, and I had to know _now_.

I approached, but before I was even within speaking distance, she tensed up and closed her blue book, trading it for a yellow one. I'd seen that blue one before. Something told me that all the answers I needed were in there. I considered taking it, but I knew she would notice.

"Hey Nicky," she greeted casually, her eyes glued to the Algebra notes. If I hadn't known all of her tricks by now, I'd think she'd been studying that for a few minutes already.

"Hey Gwen," I said, a hint of disdain in my voice. "Why are you studying math? We don't have a test today."

She flipped the page. "It can't hurt."

"So, what's in the blue book?"

For the first time that day she glanced up at me, her eyebrow raised. "It's not very nice to butt into other people's business." Her tone was the most defensive I'd ever heard it. I was caught off guard and didn't know what to say.

She looked down at her lap, a wall of fiery red hair shielding her expression. She was silent for a moment, but then turned her head and gave me a weak smile.

"Sorry," she apologized. "I don't know what came over me."

"I don't know what's come over you, either," I began, a whole speech already formed in my head. "You've been totally odd lately. You don't talk much, you're spending every free minute hanging over that notebook, you're always making excusses, you even quit the yearbook club! I'm starting to worry if you're even going to come to my 16th birthday..."

To my surprise, Gwen didn't interrupt my rant once to correct anything I said. She sat patiently through the whole thing, eyebrows furrowed, deep in thought. If she was thinking about that stupid notebook again, it better be related to telling me. Soon enough, I was finished. We were both silent for a few moments.

"You're right," she sighed. "I've been a lousy friend lately."

"But why, Gwen?" I asked, leaning forward. "What's so important that it puts our friendship second?" Gwen and I had been friends since she moved to Bellwood, and I knew everything there was to know about her. She told me everything, and I did the same for her. Until now.

"It's... It's complicated."

I was about to make her explain, but the warning bell saved her. I groaned. "We'll talk more about this at lunch, kay?"

She nodded solemnly and turned back to her algebra notes. I could almost feel the tension coming off her. She doesn't want to tell me at all, I realized. What secret could be so big that she kept it from everyone, even me?

I trudged to my seat on the other side of the room, my mind racing almost as much as Gwen's.

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Finally, it was English class. I was in my seat, propped on my elbows, waiting for the chance to spring Gwen. She was gazing blankly at the blackboard, avoiding my gaze. But not for long. Today was the second day of peer editing, and we were already partners. There was no escape for her.

Yeah, I said we would talk at lunch and I was going to squeeze it out of here in class. Got a problem?

The teacher told us to get started. She turned to me with an "I-totally-saw-this-coming" look before I even asked her about it.

"Well, Gwen, why?" I asked after the volume of the room went up a bit.

Her shoulders sagged a bit. "Look, I'm going to be totally honest with you. I can't tell you. You wouldn't believe me, anyway. And if Ben and Kevin found out-"

Suddenly, everything cleared up. The timing, her distractedness, the way she ended conversations like she wanted to avoid something…

"Kevin's your boyfriend, isn't he?"

I expected her to freeze up, shocked that I had figured it out on my own. But just the opposite happened. She burst out laughing.

You see, Gwen laughing out loud is a pretty rare event, or at least in public. She isn't known for having a sense of humor, and her fit of hysterics caught the attention of most of the class. She noticed and lowered her head to the desk, calming down.

"You seriously think he's my boyfriend," she chuckled once the class started talking again.

"Well, you've been hanging out with him more than me, you're telling him things that you're keeping from me, and you asked him to the dance." I had more evidence, but I was saving it for later.

That's when she went back to her old self and starting contradicting all my points. "One, if I leave then by themselves for five minutes they usually end up doing something stupid. Two, he was there when it happened, so of course he's in on it. And three-"

"What do you mean, when it happened?" I cut her off.

"I already said, I can't tell you!" she hissed, obviously wanting nothing more than to tell me. She looked down at the table. "I just don't want to get you in any trouble, alright?"

_Trouble?_ I thought. _What kind of trouble?_

"Are you mixed up with a gang or something?" I guessed.

"You could say that. But just calling them a gang is too much of a compliment."

Another thought struck me. "Is it the Mafia? Were you a witness for some murder crime? Please don't tell me you're doing the witness protection program!" I was pleading now. No matter how bad of a friend she was being, she was still my best friend, and I wasn't fond of the idea of her moving to Mexico because she saw someone die.

"I've already told you too much," she sighed, pulling out her essay for me to edit. Like I could focus on that at this point.

"So it's true?" I gasped, horrorstruck.

"No." She gave me one of those 'discussion closed' looks. "Now, I found a few misspellings here and there…"

For the next five minutes we worked rather diligently on our editing. Not a word escaped our lips that weren't about correcting mistakes or adding more information. That is, until I needed to sharpen my pencil.

"I'll be right back." I walked off to the sharpener, not waiting for a reply. She wouldn't have said anything anyway. But the farther I got, the more curious I was. She couldn't keep this secret forever. Maybe she was involved with terrorists. Maybe someone was threatening to kill her and her friends. Maybe that person was _Kevin._

I shook my head. _Alright. Whatever is going on with Gwen, I'm going to find out. Then I'm going to fix it. Then we can be friends again!_

I was so busy concocting schemes to squeeze the information out of her that I almost didn't notice what was going on outside. But, as I was turning around with my newly sharpened pencil, a speck of white caught my eye. I glanced back at the window and gasped.

Snow.

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If you don't understand why that last part was so weird, you obviously skipped the note at the top. So, how did you like it? Please review! Uh... I don't know what to say. The cake is a lie? Yeah.


	2. Chapter 2

Well, this took me a while. (I know it didn't seem too much like it, but I had a ton of free time this weekend.) I've got a few things to say about this chapter:

1. I had an insane amount of writers block when I made both the beginning and end of this, so I apologize for the quality.

2. I know someone suggested that I make the chapters longer, but I wasn't able to with this one without rambling. The next one will be longer, though.

3. I wanted to keep the whole story from Nicky's POV, but it didn't work out like that. I needed something to expand the chapter and explain a few non-canon things, so I added something from 3rd person focus-on-Gwen at the end. I was trying to embody her annoyance and stress about the whole situation, but it turned out a bit sarcastic.

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything (except Nicky)! Don't sue me! Dx**

* * *

It was snowing. In May. I couldn't believe it. But there it was, and not just a few white flakes. It was already starting to pile up, even though I looked out before class and there wasn't a cloud in the sky.

Someone else must have noticed, because a few seconds later someone shouted, "Whoa! It's snowing!" Then the whole class was at the windows, ignoring everything except the white stuff floating through the air. The teacher didn't do a thing- he was too amazed himself. I even started hearing ruckus from the next room.

It was insane. For the next five minutes, all anyone could do was stare outside and chatter about snow related things, like if we were going to go home early, or what was causing the snow. (Although, some people took advantage of this and gossiped.) But then the teacher ruined it for me.

"Gwen, are you alright?"

Confused, I turned to see what he was talking about, expecting her to have stubbed her toe or something. I wasn't even close.

She was staring wide-eyed out the window like everyone else from her desk. But it wasn't in astonishment. It was panic. She was as still as a statue, her eyes glazed over. She heard the teacher's words, and she seemed to snap back a bit. Her gaze drifted to the floor. Then she started trembling violently, her breathing becoming short and shallow.

"I-I just got all d-dizzy all of a-a sudden," she stammered. I could have sworn she flashed a smile, but it was too quick. "Can I go to the nurse?"

"Of course!" he said. She stood, faltered a bit, then slowly made her way to the door. That's when I realized what was going on. That opportunistic little witch was feigning sickness to get away from me! But that wasn't going to work.

"I'll go with her," I offered, trotting over to steady her.

"No, I don't think that's necessary," Gwen objected.

"Of course it is!" I replied. "In your condition, you'll get a concussion before you make it halfway. I'm coming."

She grimaced and stood a bit straighter, trying to prove that my help was unneeded.

The teacher nodded and turned to the rest of the class, getting ready to calm them down in time for lunch. Nicky one, Gwen zero.

I slung her arm around my shoulder and dragged her down the hall. She was putting almost all her weight on me, she took slow, floppy steps, and she kept leaning her head on my shoulder like she was about to nod off. She was obviously trying to get on my nerves, or maybe she was just putting on a show for anyone that saw us. Either way, I wasn't going to let her behavior get to me. And as soon as we got to that little hallway that no teachers could see us in, it was on.

Unfortunately, that turned out to be Gwen's plan all along.

We were walking right by it, and I was about to turn her around and take her in. But, before I could even begin, she suddenly shifted all her weight to the right and sent us both stumbling that way.

"Hey!" I shouted, but her hand went over my mouth. She looked a ton better now, just proving that she was faking earlier. But she didn't look normal; she looked like she was having an adrenaline rush or something.

"I know this sounds crazy, but I need to get out of here," she whispered, he voice harsh. At first, I had no idea what she was talking about, but one nervous glance at the end of the hallway cleared it all up. It was the door that lead to the track, where she could easily climb over the fence and…

"Why do you want to play hooky?"

No answer.

"Does this have to do with the snow?"

"Yes."

Now, I appreciate honest, straightforward answers as much as the next girl, but I was too worried about her to care.

"But how does it?" I asked. "You're scaring me, Gwen."

She couldn't look me in the eye. "I'm really sorry. But I can't tell you more without-" She stopped.

"Without what?"

"Without putting you in any more danger than you're already in."

I couldn't help but take a step back. I was in danger? In danger of what? I realized I was beginning to shake. Just by the way she said it, I knew that whatever she was keeping from me, it was horrible. So horrible and dangerous that I was risking my life just talking to her, by being in the same room as her. I felt my stomach churn, and I thought that I might be the one who needed to go to the nurse.

I wanted to let her go. I wanted to let her walk out into the snow and probably get herself killed, just to make this imminent "danger" go away. _No,_ I told myself. I would not let her. Besides, she was probably overreacting. Whatever she got messed up with the police could most likely sort out.

"I'm not letting you go," I said. My mind was made up.

She gave me one last desperate look, and I suddenly felt like her entire being was pleading to go. I challenged my choice for a second, but then realized that it was unreasonable to let her, so I shook it off. I slung the defeated girl's arm around my shoulder once more and we headed for the nurse again. Neither of us said a word. I dropped her off, realized what time it was, and ran to lunch with an uneasy conscious.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Are you sure? Maybe you should lie down for a few more minutes…"

"No," Gwen objected. "I'm fine now. Can I go?"

"Well, I guess some food would be good for you," Ms. Gyll said. "Go ahead."

She sighed with relief and swung her feet to the ground. Everyone had been getting on her case lately- First Nicky, then the nurse, and maybe later her other friends. For the millionth time she wished everyone already knew what she was doing and she didn't have to keep any secrets, but wishing would get her nowhere. Only action does, and boy, did she have some action planned.

The oddly timed snow meant that the Highbreed were close; very close, as in half a mile away at most. Why they landed here, she had no idea. Maybe whatever they were looking for when they found Tiny was really under the school. But it didn't matter why they were there, only what they would do- and the most logical choice was to turn every single student into a DNAlien.

She had just slipped into the hallway that she and Nicky were in earlier when she remembered her log.

"Crap," she muttered. All of the information she had on all of the Plumber's Kids' powers was in that notebook, including all of Ben's aliens. If the DNAliens broke in and found it, everyone on the planet would be screwed. She couldn't leave it in her locker- they might find it. Her best chance was to take it with her and hide it under some rocks when she got outside.

As she changed direction for her locker, she went over the plan in her head. Step one, get outside. Two, call Ben and Kevin for backup. Three, bury the notebook, then kick the DNAlien's butts back to the Highbreed home world before they could get into the

school. There were only two things she was worried about- how Ben would get out of class and how much trouble she would be in when she got caught. Although, her mom could write her a note...

She unlocked her locker and swung it open, and instantly noticed that the notebook was gone. She swore and checked behind all of her binders, but couldn't find anything. What if the DNAliens were already in the school, and they found it somehow? Couldn't be- they wouldn't have bothered closing and locking her locker, and how could they know about her log? Then it hit her.

Nicky.

There was no other explanation. She knew her locker combination, she already knew enough to get her really curious, and she knew about the notebook. She had taken it, and was probably going to share it with her other friends any minute. Maybe she already had.

Gwen had two choices. She could either run to the cafeteria and take back her log, or she could go beat up aliens. Based on the fact that whatever she picked her life would be officially screwed up (like it wasn't already), she picked the one that would result in the least casualties- the latter.

But less than a second after she started off again, the hallway was filled with the sound of shattering glass.

She ducked and closed her eyes, but nothing happened. It was only noise. Then, from around the corner, she heard a chorus of teens screaming bloody murder. Her internal alarm went off, and without thinking, she burst into an adrenaline-fueled sprint to the source. She burst through the double doors of the cafeteria and stopped dead.

She was too late.

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Well, I hope you enjoyed it. Tune in next time! (Luckily I won't have much homework this week thanks to all the test [that I can't study for] this week, so I should have a new one up soon.)


	3. Chapter 3

Sorry it took so long to update. My computer broke down twice, so I couldn't work on it. Dx Well, I fixed it, so the next one will be quicker. Sunday, hopefully. (See below for the reason.) Anyway, I'm really proud of this chapter, and I hope you enjoy it.

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing but Gwen's friends. NOTHING, I SAY! **

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The second I sat down at the lunch table, I was surrounded by a close-knit circle of my friends' curious faces. "So, what's up with her?" "Did you find anything out?" "Did she tell you?" They were all asking questions at the same time.

"Well, she doesn't think it's a good idea if anyone but her knows," I explained early, mixing my mashed potatoes nervously with my fork. I didn't really know where to begin, and I was starting to think telling them was a bad idea. No, it would be fine. "But she did let a few things slip."

A few of them leaned closer. I couldn't help but notice that some of the kids were getting a bit weirded out by my friends enthusiasm. I had to get this over with before one of the lunch ladies told her friends to sit normally.

"I'm pretty sure she got mixed up in some kind of gang, or maybe the Mafia or something. But whatever it is, it's bad, most likely illegal, and most of all dangerous. I think she implied that she putting us in danger just by knowing us." I remembered the way she had spoken in that hallway, sending shivers up my spine. "She faked almost passing out in class, and when I took her to the nurse, she wanted me to let her play hooky. Probably to meet with whatever gang it is."

"Gwen, a gangster?" a short brunette named Beth mused dreadfully. "I never would have thought…"

"She not a gangster!" I hissed in defense. I paused a second, cooling myself down. "She's just in a mess with them. Maybe they kidnapped her parents, or…"

Rachael cut in. "Maybe they kidnapped Grandpa Max."

A deep silence fell over the group. All of then knew Grandpa Max, or at least heard of him. I knew him pretty personally. He was a kind old man, with a love of travel and a taste for odd foods, and a big RV (adequately named the Rustbucket) that he drove Gwen around in all the time. He came up in almost all of Gwen's crazy stories that weren't about school, until she started acting all strange. Since then, she's only told a few stories, Max excluded from each of them. And she had been acting all solemn lately, like she missed someone…

It all made sense. Too much sense. That had to be it, and everyone knew it.

"We have to help her," Beth said. "These people could probably kill her."

That didn't raise our spirits much.

"We could report this to the police," Yanling suggested, trying her best to add something.

"But we don't know where the heck these guys are, or who they are for that matter." Beth said. "There's nothing to report!"

The girls all started talking at the same time, discussing what Gwen might be doing and what we should do to help. (Although, a few people were convinced she was actually part of a gang, but no one else listened to that. She's too much of a goody two-shoes.)

"Actually," I added, "I do have something that could tell us what's up."

Everyone at the table stopped mid-sentence and turned their heads. The fact that I had information important enough to get the attention of a lunch table of teenage girls in the middle of a heated discussion made me want to smile, but I held it in, in fear I'd look diabolical.

Then, out from my book bag that sat next to my seat, I withdrew Gwen's blue notebook. Probably a third of the group looked shocked. They were the ones who had study hall with her, and they had seen that book before. But not what's inside.

I plopped it on the table, where it made a louder sound than a notebook should. It bulged up a little, and pieces of tape and what looked like the edges of photographs poked out the sides. I reached to open it, but I hesitated. Was this really something I had to butt into?

"Well, what are you waiting for?" said Leah. "Open it."

I thought of the urgency on Gwen's face. I needed to do this. No matter what she had gotten herself into, I wasn't going to abandon her. I chose a random page and flipped the book open. They all leaned closer, trying to see it.

In the center of the page was a pressed flower- five bright pink petals with a single yellow stripe running through each one. Surrounding it were tiny boxes of illegible scribble, not her normal writing. I could make out a few words from a distance- grandma, lake, and something that looked like 'nnana'. I would need a magnifying glass to decipher the rest.

"Oh no, she's a flower collector now, call the police!" Leah cried, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Maybe it's a clue to a crime, or something," Yanling piped up. That made sense.

But before we could even reply, all of the windows shattered to pieces.

A chorus of screamed whipped up from other end of the room. Somehow we managed to turn away from the notebook and its strange flower, and saw what was going on.

Though the windows, several _things_ were crawling through. I'm a bit farsighted, so what I saw was a bit blurred. But then I heard monstrous gurgles from the window a table behind me, and I saw the creature in full clarity.

It was five feet tall, at least, bipedal, and downright hideous. Its whole slimy body was the color of clay, except for its hands and feet, which looked like they had been dipped in raw sewage. The top of its skull wasn't even there, and you could see the top half of its brain sticking out. Its pulsating internal organs were visible though its chest. And, right above a four-tentacle mouth, was a single green eye, blinking sideways as it stared right at me.

I let rip a shriek worthy of a horror film, falling backwards onto the table. The notebook dropped to the floor, closing on its way down landing front cover-side-up. That was really lucky, because the thud distracted the monster for a second. I flipped over and landed on the ground clumsily, about to run for my life the second I got my bearings. But as second wasn't enough.

When I looked back, the monster had the notebook in its hands, its eye widened. The eye focused to a slit, and it slowly turned its head in my direction. I whirled around, about to run, but two other monsters exactly like that one stood right in front of me, blocking my path.

I began to hyperventilate. I was trapped. Those things looked ready to kill at any time. I had to get out of there… But I was surrounded. I turned once more, and the first creature looked like it was about to lunge. I would need a miracle to get out of this.

And that's just what I got.

All of a sudden, the monster flew to the side and crashed into a table, almost flipping it over. It clutched the side of its head in agony, looking up in surprise at what knocked him back. But not as much surprise as I felt.

There, standing with her hands in fist and a wild look in her eye, was Gwen.

I wanted to hug her, but I was way too freaked out. She looked at me, alarmed.

"Duck!" she hissed, doing it herself. I followed her order, and I felt something wiz over my head. When I glanced back up, I saw a big splotch of green goo on the wall that definitely wasn't there before.

"Thanks," I whispered to her, forgetting my fear for a second. But she was already gone. I scanned the room (there were at least twenty of the things around the room- who knew how many more were outside) and found her standing back to the wall, digging her heel into a monster's intestines.

"Go!" she screamed at me, shoving it to the floor. But I did exactly the opposite: I ran over to her (deliberately stepping on a downed monster's gut on the way).

"No," I objected, "I want to help you."

"There's nothing you can do that won't-"

"Get me killed, I know," I finished for her. "But I don't care." (For the record, that was a total lie. I did care if I got killed, and I really didn't want to take whatever job she had for me. But running from the room screaming isn't the best thing for your rep.)

She backfisted an approaching thing's face (I really need a better name for them), looking defeated. She pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and tossed it to me.

She began her instructions. "Take this and grab the notebook. Get out of here as fast as you can. Once you've gotten to a place that hasn't been snowed on, call Ben. He's on my contacts. Tell him that we have a problem in our school cafeteria. After that, go hide the book somewhere. I'll pick it up ASAP. Got that?"

I nodded. It seemed simple enough. There were only two problems. The first was where I would hide the notebook, which I could worry about later. The other was how to get out of there.

I looked around. Still not many people had escaped. Some of them were trying and failing to fight them off with cafeteria food, others were cowering in a corner screaming, and the rest were scrambling through the holes in the wall. The last one looked like my best bet.

I sprinted across the room, dodging monster claws and flying balls of gunk and snatching the notebook when I was in range. I was having the adreniline rush of my life. I don't think I had ever run so fast before- before I even knew what was going on, I was sliding around on a layer of snow. I tripped, scrambling up as soon as I hit the ground. It snapped me back into reality for a moment. I dared a quick glanced back to see what was happening.

The last thing I remember before dashing off again was Gwen, screaming in pain, her leg twisted in a direction I knew it wasn't supposed to go.

---

The next thing I knew, I was standing on the sidewalk along Elm Street, staring blankly at my bare, snow-dusted feet. They were kind of swollen, and were a odd blueish color. They hurt too, but I was too confused to notice. What was I doing there? What the heck just happened? And where did my flip-flops go?

As I stood and thought about it, parts started coming back to me. Something bad happened in the cafeteria, and now I was helping Gwen out with something. An errand, maybe... Probably had do with my house, though, since that's the path I seemed to be heading down.

There was something I needed to do first, but I didn't know what. My grip around the phone in my hand tightened. _Whoa, hold on, _I thought. _Since when was I holding a cell phone?_

Then I remembered- I needed to call someone. But who? Someone on her contacts, which narrowed it down to every girl in the school with a cell. It couldn't be me. Her parents, maybe? No, it was only one person. I was pretty sure it started with a B. I flipped open her phone and went to her contacts, which at the moment were all As. I scrolled down to the Bs, and the first name I saw clicked instantly- Ben.

It all came back in a flash. I had to call Ben and tell him about the monster attack in the cafeteria. Then I had to hide Gwen's notebook (which, after discovering that it wasn't in my hand and a whole lot of frantic searching, I found a few yards away from where I was standing) somewhere that no one would ever find it. But first, the phone call.

"Hello?" a boys voice answered after a few rings.

"Um, hi Ben, it's Nicky," I said uneasily. "We've got a bit of a problem."

"What kind of problem?" he asked, highly interested.

"These things attacked the cafeteria. Gwen was holding them off, but I think she broke her leg."

Silence on the other end.

"I'll be right over." And with that, he hung up.

I shoved the phone in my pocket, halfway to hyperventilation. Scenes from the attack were flashing before my eyes, making me shudder all over. I shook my head and swore under my breath. I wasn't going to get anything done standing here- I needed to hide that book.

I put my legs on autopilot and focused on the task at hand.

I turned the door handle, feeling ridiculously proud of myself. But that didn't last long, because it was locked, so I had to grope around under a few rocks until I found the key, which gave me way too much time to think. I thought about Gwen, how panicked she was. How much I needed to help her. If I didn't, who knew what else could happen to her? It was vital that the authorities got involved.

By the time I reached my room, I was ready to read through that book cover to cover. I threw it on my desk, pulled out my chair, and wrapped my fingers around the front cover. But before I could even open it to the first page, I stopped dead.

What was I getting myself into? I was in enough trouble already. I knew that just opening this book was suicide. The monsters would kill me for knowing to much, but if not that, Gwen would rip my guts out for getting involved. I wasn't sure which was worse. I pushed the book away from me. Whatever was in it was messing with my thoughts.

If I did this as soon as possible, I might be able to get help before the monsters escape. Maybe not, though. Was it a risk I was willing to take? No. I wasn't willing. But I felt like I had to.

I looked at the clock. 12:46. They attacked at the beginning of lunch, which was 12:35. If they were still there, there was bound to be someone taking care of it at this point, like the police. But people could still be in trouble. The idea that the notebook might have their weakness crossed my mind, but why would she hide that?

I moaned, covering my face with my hands. I couldn't do this. I didn't want to die. Gwen was a big girl, she could handle herself. But was she really that tough? No one could take on an army of monsters by them self. She needed help, and since I was the one with the notebook in my hands, I was the one who could give her what she needed.

My brain whirled for who knows how long, constantly changing sides, wanting nothing more than an easy way out of this mess. But as the sides of my brain argued, I started piecing it together.

This wasn't my choice to make. It was Gwen's decision whether I should know or not. I would hide the book until I next saw Gwen, and she would decide if she would share it with me or not. The chances that she would were better, since I was already in grave danger just housing the accursed thing.

My mind was made up. With a calm mind and a clear consious, I slid the book into my sock drawer, set up the tripwires, and sat on my bed proudly. Now all I had to do was wait for Gwen to call.

Or so I thought.

* * *

Ohhh, cliffhanger. So, tell me what you think. Also, I need to know something. Would you rather have Nicky get weird in the sequel, or have Nicky stay normal and a weird kid move into town? Cast your votes now!

I'm going to D.C, so I'll work on Chapter 4 there. See ya next time! :D (I'm going to reveal the name of the sequel next time.)

PS: After I finish this story and before the sequel, I have a bit of a surprise for Ben 10 Fans everywhere. A brand new, never before seen pairing. I hope you like it. ;D


	4. Chapter 4

I'm Doooonnnneee!!! :D

I epic fail at speeches as you'll see later. I like how I wrapped this up plot-wise, but writing wise I'm not so sure. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it. Also, remember to vote! Should Nicky get weird, or a new kid? So far it's Nicky, so if you object, speak now or forever hold your peace. And I'm giving you the name of the sequel at the end of this, so stay tuned!

**DISCLAIMER: Don't own anything but my OCs. Yeah... Especially that quote at the end. I edited it, though. I think a lot of you will know where it's from. ;D**

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Four days had passed since the monsters attacked.

School had been canceled for the next week or so, for obvious reasons. Some kids were hiding in their houses, afraid that they would come back, but the rest of us had fallen into a state of solemnity. Two students had died in that ambush. One of them was Eric McKinley, whose stomach was ripped out while he tried to get away. The students that weren't in the cafeteria at the time were mourning him. But us who saw the battle knew the one who deserved to be grieved.

Gwen.

I didn't see exactly what happened until it was televised a day later. After Gwen had twisted her leg, she continued to fight back, and was knocked unconscious. But before they could finish her off, another monster swooped in, this one with a pair of giant blue moth wings. It literally froze the other creatures in the room, then grabbed Gwen and flew off. No one's seen her since.

If that Mothman didn't mean her any harm, he would have taken her to a hospital. I checked every single one in the area- no Gwen Tennyson. The police dubbed her as missing, meaning she wasn't at home either. And whenever I called her cell phone, all I heard was a recording of her voice that made my heart ache.

She had vanished of the face of the planet, as far as anyone knew. Death was the only explanation. Which was exactly why I was walking down the street on that cold, windy night, dragging a suitcase of flowers, pictures and potato chips behind me.

The breeze prodded at my eyes, giving my tears an early start. I wiped them away. I would need those later. I went over what I was going to say, just to distract me, but all that would do is make me walk into Rachel's house bawling. The song "I'm Yours" tended to cheer me up, so I started playing it in my mind. The next thing I knew, "Boulovard of Broken Dreams" was blaring in the back of my head. It was hopeless.

I continued to wander through the cold, marching to the depressing song I had stuck in my head. I think one or two drops of rain hit my skin, but I didn't care much. B the time I arrived at Beth's place, I had started considering suicide.

I was greeted by a group of friends, all silently slouched on the couches. It looked like we were all there, so I decided to call this to order.

"Alright, everyone, let's get this set up," I sighed, unzipping my case. They stood up in a zombie-like manner and began taking out trinkets and snacks. The rest of what happened wasn't very exciting, so I'll skip that. Pretty soon, we were sitting in a semicircle of chairs, facing a makeshift altar with a picture of Gwen and a whole lot of flowers. Rachel, who had coordinated and hosted the whole event, was standing in front of us.

She cleared her throat and began. "We are gathered here today to celebrate the life of our friend, Gwen Tennyson. Who would like to share their speech first?"

I raised my hand. I'd rather go in fine and come out crying than go both ways crying. She nodded and sat down, and I came to the front. I usually had stage fright, but the fact that the audience was depressed made it a bit easier.

"Gwen was a great friend. No, an awesome friend. Even in the toughest times of my life, she was always there for me. Sure, she was acting a bit strange, but she had probably been going through the toughest time of her life. Unfortunately, she never got to share with us what it was. She was loyal, kind, and all around amazing." My voice was starting to crack. "But, we have to remember that she will always be with us in spirit.

"I remember the first day she came to Bellwood, five years ago. I had been having a really, really bad day. I broke my arm a week earlier, and it looked really stupid. Back then I was a loner, and didn't have any real friends. Some bullies started harassing me at lunch. I was helpless. That is, until Gwen came to my aid.

"It was her first day ever at this school, and she was already standing up to the meanest kids in school. And she scared him off, too. She was my hero, and the bravest person I've ever met. And she demonstrated that bravery again, putting her life in danger to save me, and the rest of us, from those creatures."

A tear ran down my cheek, the first of many. I sniffed and continued. "One of the last times I saw her, after she passed out in English class, she told me that she was keeping it from me because she didn't want to get me in danger. That applies to all of you, too." I turned around and pulled her notebook from my case that sat next to me. The group stirred with a bit of excitement.

"We can't let her sacrifice be in vain," I said, my voice raising. "The contents of this book are not for our eyes. We may get in trouble for knowing too much, which would make her efforts to save us pointless. I say we turn this in to the authorities, without looking at it ourselves. Who's with me!"

It amazed me how much enthusiasm a group of mourners can put into a single "Aye!". I actually smiled, nodded, and proceeded to bump into the altar as I returned to my seat, knocking the picture of her to the floor. No one noticed, though, and Yanling was already up to give her speech. In a matter of minutes, we were all depressed again.

But halfway through, someone knocked on the door. Yanling, who had been telling a anecdote about how Gwen had found her runaway dog, stopped dead and looked at it blankly. I got up, seeing as I was the only one aware of what was going on. I opened the door and almost screamed.

Right there, out in the hallway, was Gwen.

I was paralyzed, unable to speak. She was alive. And she was here. If I hadn't been hanging onto the doorknob, I would have fallen over in shock.

Her kind smile turned into a panicked frown as she looked around the room. "Oh God, who died?" she asked worriedly.

The room exploded. All of the girls leaped from their seats, pushing past each other, trying to get to Gwen first. She yelped as everyone started hugging her, knocking her back. Something fell against my chest, bringing me back to reality. A crutch. None of my friends were on crutches, as far as I knew. I shrugged and joined the group hug.

"What the heck is going on?" Gwen sputtered. We dispersed a bit, giving her some space. But all that happened was that she fell back on her butt the second we stopped supporting her weight. I pushed to the front of the group, and realized the crutch must have been hers. Her entire lower leg was encased in a plastic cast.

"Gwen!" I cried, crouching down and giving her a more personal hug. "You're alive!"

She chuckled. "Well, that answers my question about who died. So, what exactly is going on?"

"We were holding you a memorial service," I explained. It was my turn for questions. "Where were you? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she assured me. "After the D-" she paused, "I mean monsters, broke my leg, this other monster came and saved me and brought me to a hospital a few towns away."

"But I've checked every hospital in the area!" I replied.

"Did you check Berkley?"

"No"

"Thought so."

I would have felt like an idiot if I hadn't been so relieved. I smiled, gave one last squeeze, and let the others have a turn with her. I toppled onto a chair, overwhelmed by the flash flood of happiness. It was an absolute miracle. Then I remembered that she was still a missing person.

"Hey, Gwen," I said, timing it so I talked right after she was finished with Mary. "Don't we still have to show you to the police or something?"

"Done," she replied. "Kevin offered to take care of it. I think he expects a cash reward or something. Anyway, I've got something to say to everyone."

I made the announcement, and everyone hushed. She wandered out in front of us and began.

"The fact that you held this for me is really sweet. Kind of pointless since I'm not dead, but still sweet. Over the past few weeks, I've gotten so caught up in my own life that I forgot how much I love all you guys. Now I'm going to make it up to you. Since we have snacks and everything, why don't we have a party?"

There was a murmur of excitement at this. We all nodded enthusiastically at her.

She clapped her hands together. "Well, let's get started!"

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Gwen and I sat silently on the porch steps, watching the cars roll lazily by. The weather was still as dreary as ever, but now that she was here, everything felt nicer. Not as lonely. Even though we were out here waiting to get picked up, I wasn't in a rush. I probably could have sat there forever, soaked in contentment.

"Well, I've got a lot of explaining to do," Gwen said suddenly.

I turned my head, surprised. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm guessing that you read my..."

"I didn't," I interrupted. She looked back at me. She was startled at first, but her face twisted into an expression halfway between relief and disappointment.

"Oh," she sighed. "Alright."

"Speaking of which," I pulled the notebook out of the suitcase next to me, "I believe this is yours."

She grinned and took it. "Thanks." She looked back down the road, and sure enough, a dark green car was heading our way. Definately Kevin's.

"Well, I better go," she noted. I helped her hobble to her feet, gave her the crutches, and she headed across the lawn to the car that had just pulled up.

"Bye," I called after her as she slipped into the back seat. She smiled and waved, and then she was gone.

My face relaxed and I sighed, picked up my bag, and headed off for home.

Of three things I was absolutely positive.

First, Gwen was involved with those monsters.

Second, there was a part of her- I don't know how dominant that part may be- that wanted to tell me everything and get me involved.

And third, I unconditionally and irrevoccably did not care.

I was just glad to have my friend back.

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Like how I did the whole Twilight thing there? I personally am pretty proud of it. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it, and for the record, there's going to be an epilogue. Probably later today, even. I just have to make it fit with the canon storyline.

Anywho, the (current) title for the sequel will be:

Only a Mother Could Love

Well, that's that. See you at the epilogue!


	5. Epilogue

Here is the final stretch of My Friend Supergirl. I think this wraps it up nicely, and makes it so Gwen breaking her leg isn't too AU. And I just realized how fun it is to write Ben and Kevin getting on each others nerves.

Anyway, I got a comment about why did I have to make someone die. Well, if a cafeteria blows up and gets attacked by monsters, especially if said cafeteria is in a prep school of possibly physically challenged high schoolers, it wouldn't be realistic if everyone gets out alive. Plus, I'm just gross like that. ;D

**DISCLAIMER: I don't think I own anything in this chapter. Whatever.**

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"You know, I kind of like shotgun," Ben mused, wiggling in his seat a little.

Kevin pulled up in front of the house, then turned to glare at him. "Don't get used to it, Tennyson. This is a one time thing, got that?"

"Yeah, yeah," he said, putting his hands behind his head. This act of settling in made Kevin inch closer to ripping his head off. They were so absorbed in their exchange that they didn't even notice when Gwen squeezed into the back seat until she said something.

"Hey guys," she greeted, propping her crutches next to her. Kevin turned around, and his face paled. There was silence for a few seconds, and then he exploded.

"You broke your leg!?" he shouted in disbelief. "Why didn't you tell me you broke your _leg_?!?"

She winced at his outburst, then raised an eyebrow. "I thought Ben..."

"Opps," Ben muttered with a half smile. "Forgot. Sorry."

"Sure, you 'forgot,'" Kevin mumbled. He stepped on the gas and started driving, a bit faster than the speed limit. "Next time you 'forget' something important like that, let me know so I can pound you."

Ben gulped and scooted closer to the door. "You know, Gwen, I'm starting to miss that back seat right now..." No reply. "Gwen?"

He turned around and didn't see her at first, but then he looked down and saw her fumbling with her cast. Then she slid her foot straight out of it and brought her leg to her chest, rubbing it. It didn't look swollen at all- in fact, it looked perfectly fine.

"Why are you..." Kevin tried to ask, but lost his words.

"You seriously thought I could break my leg?" she chuckled. "I was just talking like that so no one could evesdrop."

Kevin looked satisfied, but Ben wasn't nearly as pleased with the answer. "Wait, why can't you break your leg?"

"I don't have any bones to break."

It was Ben's turn be surprised. He stared at her, then her foot, then her again, then Kevin, and than her again.

"I know it doesn't look like it, but under this skin, I'm just a mass of mana with some organs floating around," she explained. "There's nothing but mana in my leg to break, and that only take ten minutes to heal completely, at most."

He sighed and buried his face in his hands. "I can't believe I'm related to you, and I mean that in the most non-offending way possible." She smiled and nodded, understanding what he meant.

Kevin smirked. "I can't believe you're related to her either. I mean that in the offending kind of way."

"Didn't the doctors find notice anything _strange _about you when they treated you?" Ben asked.

"After you dropped me off at my house, my parents didn't take me to a hospital. They just waited for me to wake up, and we shopped online for a cast for a few days to make it look like I was treated."

"Ah."

"Anyway guys, we have some business to take care of," Kevin said after a few seconds of silence. "There've been a bunch of reports on some giant monster stealing random things around Bellwood..."

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Remember to stay tuned for the sequel! I don't know how long it will be until I get chapter 1 out, though.


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